Grupo Televisa to enter mobile phone market?

Mexican television broadcaster, Grupo Televisa has confirmed that it is in talks with the mobile network operator, Grupo Iusacell over a possible joint-venture. Televisa said that it intends to enter in the mobile phone market, either through a direct investment or a reselling arrangement, because it expects growth in the industry.

The move is a second attempt to enter the local wireless market after a planned $1.4 billion investment in NII Holdings (trading as Nextel) to build a 3G network broke down last year.

The move could also be controversial as Iusacell is controlled by Ricardo Salinas who owns Mexico’s second largest TV network in an effective duopoly in the market. The two broadcasters are facing anti-trust investigations over their dominant control of television advertising in the country.